TalkWithME

Crystal Boson, Poet

Crystal Boson writes short, dense poems that lay bare the complicated geographies of the United States and the lives of the Black, queer, and marginalized bodies that dwell within its boundaries. The poems are dark matter, heavy and small, and will rip everything you know apart. She currently writes about, and resides in the midwest.

She is a Cave Canem and Callaloo fellow, and in 2014 was awarded the Langston Hughes Creative Writing Award, which is co-sponsored by Raven Book Store and the Lawrence (KS) Arts Center. She has work published in Blueshift Journal, Pank, Parcel, among other locations. Most recently her work "the bitter map" was selected as the winner of the 2017 Honeysuckle Press Chapbook Contest by Saeed Jones.

 

Follow Crystal's work, and Buy The Books, at CrystalBoson.com

Christine Howey, Artist-Activist

Christine Howey is an award-winning actor, director, theater critic, transgender activist and performance poet. She was the Poet Laureate of Cleveland Heights, Ohio for 2016-2018. Her one-person stage play of poetry about her transgender journey, Exact Change, was turned into a feature film. The film is an official selection of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival in 2018 (Oct. 3-7). 

 

Christine has four books of poetry published. She is also a slam poet and competed in the National Poetry Slams in 2013 and 2017.  Her newest book is Citizen of Metropolis, from Crisis Chronicles Press, August 2018

 

Find much more online, and her books at christinehoweypoetry.blogspot.com

 

Jennie Washburn and Brandon Eisman V.2018.No.8

Jennie & Brandon & Talk With ME host Marcia share laughter & conversation about Art & Goodness & Fearlessness.

 

Jennie Washburn has a wide range of expertise and experience, and is committed to ongoing learning, personal growth, kindness, and fun!  She is an esthetician, the co-host of Soul Salon, and the host of The Goddess Within women's circle, all in Lawrence, KS  www.facebook.com/The-Goddess-Within-252751568549725/  

 

Brandon Eisman / Deja Brooks is a Drag Queen. July 2018, he performed KS Repertory Theatre's "The Legend of Georgia McBride."  Brandon stays very busy with Transformations and other events which raise awareness and funds for service organizations; as well as providing Deja's Reading Rainbow story times at Lawrence Public Library. One of Brandon’s goals is to continue to educate and to open minds, to increase support of ALL people.

ME / Marcia Epstein is an advocate for all the arts & a mental health social worker,
https://MarciaEpstein.biz

Macey Webb, Poet

Macey Webb was born in 1981 and adopted by a family in Stilwell, KS, composed of an educator and a jack-of-all-trades.  She has inevitably been writing since she has known how, although there was a brief slackening when all her favorite children's literary magazines refused to publish her 12-year-old musings on how enjoyable farm chores can be.  In the whirlwind of the last three years, Macey has used poetry to process mental illness, grief, joy, kitties, interconnectedness, and survival.  Her involvement with the Percolator Lawrence art space in her home town of Lawrence, KS has led to Macey hosting a variety of wildly unsuccessful Open Mic Words And Poetry events that do little more than annoy local patrons of corporate hotels and restaurants.  Truly, she never asked for anything more.

Denise Low, Writer-Publisher

Denise Low, past Poet Laureate of Kansas, is the award-winning author of over 35 books of poetry, memoir, and more.  Currently based in Lawrence, KS, she is a 5th generation Kansan with British Isles, German, Delaware (Lenape / Munsee) and other heritages.

Recent books include Ghost Stories of the New West (Kansas Notable Book and The Circle-Best Native American Books); Jackalope (Red Mountain Press); The Turtle’s Beating Heart: One Family’s Story of Lenape Survival (U of NE Press); A Casino Bestiary (Spartan Press); and new release: Shadow Light (Red Mountain Press).  

 

Denise and husband Tom Weso are publishers at Mammoth Publications, specializing in Indigenous American authors. Low provides readings and professional workshops nationally, as well as classes through Baker U.  She founded the Creative Writing program at Haskell Indian Nations U, where she taught for 27 years. Low is past board president of the Associated Writers and Writing Programs and she is a contributing editor to the Writer’s Chronicle.

 www.DeniseLow.net

 

 

April Roller, Cosplayer-Advocate

April Roller is the co-founder of the innovative, artistic, suicide prevention organization, Cosplay for Hope, based in Missouri. April's life changed on August 4, 2013 when Jeremy, her beloved husband and father of their three children, died by suicide. Jeremy secretly struggled with severe depression and anxiety throughout his 32 years. Yet he also experienced the joys of falling in love with April, and with each of their three young children. In honor of Jeremy, April and their sons became advocates for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. April's advocacy included founding the student chapter of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at U. of Central MO, as well as co-founding Cosplay For Hope.

Learn more at www.facebook.com/pg/CosplayForHope